Attendee's Field Guide

Edit 0 1 …
Ultimately, Pause is what you, the attendees make it.

"We should take the opportunity to do things we don't get to do at regular conferences."

So here are just a few thoughts to let you know what's possible, and what seemed to work last time.

  • There can be a blurry line between "presenting" and "attending", here are some tips for presenters:
    • "show", don't "tell"
    • leave PowerPoint behind if possible
    • invite people to ‘think’ about a problem with you
    • avoid stuff you would do for DevCon
    • don’t wing it

  • "don't wing it"?
    • if there is something you want to talk about / work on etc., spend some time thinking about it and be prepared to speak about it-- post some comments about it on a session's discussion page, put an example file together and think about how you'd demo that around a small table, or put it on a thumb drive and hand it to a presenter.
    • Pause works best with active participation; though we recognize that we all participate at different speeds and different audible frequencies…if you ever want to really engage a subject, this is your chance.

  • If you get lost or don't have access to the schedule, come to the welcome room: we'll post the room number here once people start checking it.
  • Follow #pauseonerror on twitter for last minute schedule changes, room changes, etc.
  • Some rooms may just be too full when you arrive; there isn't much we can do about that. If a session is too packed to join, head over to another session or tweet your location and make your own fun.
  • Be helpful and respectful to fellow attendees, presenters and hotel staff...you know, no crazy FileMaker stunts!
  • If done correctly, this should feel a little like an organized train-wreck of activity. Just remember that you are probably getting a first look at a lot of things: crazy new ideas, amazing "secret" projects, and wickedly cool works-in-progress. Good humor and a willingness to go-with-the-flow are helpful traits to pack along.